Toronto Public Health has confirmed two cases of a new mpox variant
These are the first cases of the new strain to be identified within Ontario
Toronto Public Health confirmed today that two travel-related cases of a new mpox strain have been confirmed in the city. The variant, called clade Ib, is a fast-spreading strain of mpox, and these are the first cases to be identified within Ontario.
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Previous mpox cases in Toronto have been the clade Ia strain, of which there were 155 confirmed cases in the city last year. The Public Health Agency of Canada says the new variant is less severe.
Still, the symptoms of mpox aren’t pleasant. According to Toronto Public Health, they include painful skin lesions, fever and other flu-like symptoms. Transmission is caused by contact with people who have the virus and by contact with materials contaminated by the virus, such as bedding or clothing. Animals can also carry mpox.
Vaccination is free and available without an OHIP card.
Toronto Public Health’s announcement arrives as the six-year anniversary of Premier Doug Ford declaring a state of emergency to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 approaches.
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Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
